11 Seafarers Missing as Bulgaria Halts Search After Black Sea Strikes
Bulgaria called off the search for 11 missing crew members after two cargo ships were struck by drones off its Black.
Bulgarian authorities have suspended the search for the missing crew of a Turkish cargo ship after it sank within minutes following an early-morning attack off the country’s Black Sea coast. The Alfa Watan, a 3,200-deadweight-ton vessel registered in Tonga and built in 1976, was struck around 02:30 local time on Tuesday, October 6. Its distress beacon activated, but rescue teams later found only an overturned lifeboat, three rafts, and debris—no survivors.
Reports indicate the ship carried between 10 and 12 crew members, believed to be Syrian nationals. Five seafarers were rescued, but the remaining sailors remain unaccounted for. The vessel, owned by a Turkish company, was sailing into the Black Sea when it was hit. A second search effort, involving Bulgarian and Romanian aircraft as well as a cargo ship flagged in St. Kitts and Nevis, covered an area roughly 70 miles east of Bulgaria’s coast but yielded no further traces of the crew.
Second Vessel Abandoned After Fire: Black Sea
A second Turkish-owned cargo ship, the 7,400-deadweight-ton Able, registered in Palau, was struck in the stern about an hour later, at 03:30. The attack triggered a large fire, forcing the crew to evacuate. While the captain suffered a head injury and the chief engineer sustained severe burns, the remaining crew members were medically cleared and taken to a hotel in Varna.
Rumen Nikolov, Chief Director of Bulgaria’s Maritime Administration Agency, stated the Able was listing heavily at the stern and had a 90% chance of sinking within hours. The vessel remains abandoned in the Black Sea, with authorities monitoring its condition. Nikolov confirmed the ship was outside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, limiting the country’s ability to conduct an underwater search for the Alfa Watan.
Russia Denies Involvement as Bulgaria Seeks Regional Cooperation
Russia’s embassy in Bulgaria denied responsibility for the attacks, telling Reuters the two ships were “not on the Ministry of Defense’s target list.” However, Nikolov emphasized the need for an investigation to determine the origin of the drones used in the strikes. No debris from the drones has been recovered, and Bulgarian officials have not commented on potential environmental damage, though Nikolov described pollution in the area as “minimal.”
The incidents have heightened security concerns in the region. Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova convened the National Security Advisory Council and announced plans to collaborate with Romania and Turkey to enhance maritime safety. In a statement, she called on both Russia and Ukraine to “stop the attacks on merchant shipping in the Black Sea.”
The strikes underscore the escalating risks for commercial vessels in the Black Sea amid the ongoing conflict. With Bulgaria now pushing for stronger surveillance measures, the attacks may accelerate efforts to secure one of the world’s most vital maritime trade routes.
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